Islanders Heading To China This Fall For Portion Of Training Camp

Wang (l) Says Islanders Will Be In China From September 14-23

Islanders Owner Charles Wang Monday confirmed that the NHL club will "spend nine days in China next September as part of their training camp," according to Jeff Klein of the N.Y. TIMES. Wang said that the team will be in China from September 14-23, with "most of that time spent in Beijing." The Islanders also will visit "Harbin and Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province in the northeast, the most popular area for winter sports in China," before ending the trip in Wang's native Shanghai. Wang noted that the Islanders would "combine training sessions during the tour with games in four cities," with some set to involve the Chinese national team. He said, "It’ll be a wonderful event to have the China national team play alongside and with us." The Islanders "will be the first NHL team to tour China." The team already maintains an office in Harbin, "affiliated with Wang’s Project Hope foundation, through which the Islanders run exchange programs that have sent youth hockey teams between Long Island and Heilongjiang Province" since '06. Wang said, "We want to bring ice hockey to China. How do you get kids there to play it?" He joked, "The facilities there are much newer and much better than the Coliseum" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/3).